Russia accuses U.S. of discrimination in withholding visas for wrestlers

A Russian supporter waves a flag before the preliminary round of the men's hockey game between the team from Russia and the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics on Feb. 17.(Photo: Matt Slocum, AP)

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the United States is attempting to bar its freestyle wrestlers from competing in a World Cup next week in Iowa.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry said the U.S. embassy in Moscow did not schedule visa interviews for members of the freestyle wrestling team. The ministry accused the United States of “direct and open discrimination” and said the country is unfit to hold international competitions.

The Freestyle World Cup starts April 5 in Iowa City.

“We estimate this US move as yet another notorious example of efforts to prevent Russian athletes from participating in international competitions,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We hope that the world sports movement will pay attention to this crying circumstance. It is clearly no longer possible to hold international competitions in the United States —they are playing unfairly there.”

In response to the media reports that the Russian team “may not attend” the event and a decision from Iran not to send a team, USA Wrestling has invited Mongolia and India to participate.

In a statement released Wednesday, USA Wrestling said it “has received no information from the Russian Wrestling Federation or the international wrestling federation United World Wrestling that Russia is not attending. As the hosts of the event, USA Wrestling still has an expectation and hope that Russia will participate.”

The accusations from the Russian foreign ministry come as the country is preparing to host the FIFA World Cup in June.

Already, government leaders from Britain and Iceland have said they would not attend following the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia, 33, were poisoned with a Russian-made nerve agent in southern England earlier this month. They remain hospitalized.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said Russia is “culpable” in poisoning the Skripals.

In response, Britain expelled Russian diplomats and the European Union said 14 member nations – including Poland, Germany, France and Lithuania – would do so.

On Monday, the United States expelled 60 Russian intelligence officers and ordered the closure of Russia’s consulate in Seattle.